Illusion-car.



PATENTED APR. 2, 1.907; W. H. WINTERBORNE.

ILLUSION GAR. APPLICATION PIVLBD SEPT. 6. 1906.-

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PATENTED APR. 2, 1907.

W. H. WINTERBORNB.

` ILLUSION GAR. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6. 1906.

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A TTORNE V5 l PATENTED APR. z, 1907. W. H. WINTERBORNE. ILLUsIoN CAR..

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6.v 1906 l a SHEETS-SHEET a,

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ILLUSION-CAR.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented April 2, 1907.

Application led September 6, 1906. Serial. No. 333,566.

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM HENRY WIN- TERBORNE, a citizen of the United States, residing at San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Illusion-Car, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates generally to amusement devices, and particularly to illusioncars.

The object of the invention is to effect, first, a side-to-side movement of the amusement device to simulate the swaying of a car; second, an up-and-down movement similar to the jolting of a car on an uneven track, and, third, a turning movement to represent the curved portion of a track.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will appearas the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts andin the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of the following claims without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of an amusement-car constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view, partly in section, with the carbody and supporting-frame removed. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view, partly in side elevation and partly in section. Fig. 4 is a transverse section, partly in elevation, and Fig. 5 is a detail view of the draw-rod.

Like reference-numerals indicate correspending parts in the different figures of the drawings.

The improved amusement-car of the present invention is mounted upon a suitable base-frame A, which consists, preferably, of the cross-pieces 1 and the longitudinal sills 2.

The means for simulating the sound of a car in motion preferably consists of the pairs of supporting-wheels 3, which are journaled in brackets 4 upon the longitudinal sills 2 of the base-frame. The pairs of supportingwheels 3 preferably are formed with grooved peripheries and areadapted to support the pairs of car-wheels 5 and 6, which are connected with each other by means of axles 7.

The means for rotating the car-wheels 5 and 6 preferably consists of any suitable form of motor 8, which is connected, by means of an endless belt 9, with a belt-wheel 10, fixed upon the axle 7 of the wheels 5, it being understood that said wheels are rigi or fixed with respect to the axle. The axle 7 of the wheels 5 is provided with a sprocket or belt wheel 11, adapted to receive a flexible element 12, which extends at its opposite end around a sprocket or belt wheel 13 upon the axle 7 of the wheel 6, so that the motor 8 by rotating the pairs of wheels 5 and 6 will produce a sound resembling the noise of carwheels in motion.

For the purpose of effecting a side-to-side movement of the amusement device similar to the swaying movements of a car upon a slightly uneven road-bed I employ the following construction: The reference-letter B indicates a supporting-frame, which preferably consists of suitable end bars 14 and sills 15, the supporting-frame B being of rectangular form and adapted to extend throughout practically the entire length of the carbody C, so as to support the same. The supporting-frame B is provided with a plurality of depending brackets 16, having their lower ends perforated to receive the axles 7. The perforations in the brackets 16 to receive the axles 7 preferably are large enough to embrace the axles in a loose manner, so that said brackets 16, and consequently the supporting-frame B, can have a limited sliding movement in a lateral` direction upon the axles 7. The center sill 15 of the supporting-frame B is provided with an approximately U-shaped member 17, the upper ends of which are suitably connected with the sill 15 and the lower portion of which is formed with a longitudinal slot 18, as shown in Fig. 2. The longitudinal slot 18 of the U-shaped member 17 is adapted to receive an upwardly-extending pin 19, which is eccentrically disposed upon a disk 20, having wormteeth-21 upon its periphery. The disk 20 is journaled in any suitable manner upon a support 22, having legs 23 secured to thesills 2 of the base-frame. Meshing with the wormdisk 20 is aworm 24, which is journaled in angle-brackets 25 upon the support 22. The shaft 26 of the worin 24 is provided at one end with a sprocket or belt wheel 27, which is connected by means of a fiexible element 28 with a sprocket or belt wheel 29, mounted upon the axle 7 of the wheels 6.

It will be understood that the axle 7, through the flexible element 28, will drive IOO IIO

the worm 24, which in turn will rotate the worm-disk 20 so as to cause the eccentric-pin 19 to operate in the slot 18 of the U-shaped member 17, and consequently slide the supporting-frame B from side to side upon the axles 7, thus simulating the swaying movements of a car in motion upon an irregular road-bed.

For the purpose of effecting an up-anddown movement of the car-body l said carbody is pivotally connected with the supporting-frame B by means, preferably, of a pivot-pin-30, which is suitably secured to the bottom of the car-body and projects downward into a conical metallic socket 31 in the nature of a plate or casting secured to the center sill l5 of the supporting-frame. The conical socket 31, in conjunction with the pivot-pin 30, produces a universal connection between the car-body C and the supporting-frame B, so that said car-body cannot only rock to a limited extent in an up-anddown manner upon the supporting-frame B, but can also be slightly rotated thereon to imitate the movement of a car in making a turn, as will hereafter appear. Projecting from suitable sills 32 of the car-body C are arms 33, having enlarged heads adapted to be received in the enlarged upper ends 34 of link-rods 35, it being understood that the upper ends 34 of the link-rods 35 and the enlarged heads of the'arms 33 serve to produce conventional forms of ball-and-socket or universal connections between the link-rods 35 and the arms 33. The link-rods 35 at their lower ends are connected, by means of universal connections 36, with arms 37, eccentrically disposed upon disks 33, mounted upon a shaft 39, which is operated by means of a sprocket or belt wheel 40, having a ilexible connection 41 with a sprocket or belt wheel 42 on the axle 7 ofthe wheels 5.

It will be understood that the crank-arms 37 of the disks 33 on opposite sides of the car are oppositely arranged-that is to say, they are arranged like the pedals of a bicycle, so that when one of said crank-arms is at the upper limit of its movement the other of said crank-arms will be at the lower limit of its movement. For this reason when the linkrod 35 on one side of the car is going up the link-rod 35 -on the opposite side of the car will be going down and the car-body will consequently be given an up-and-down movement by reason of the fact that one side of the car will be going up when the other side is going down. In other words, the car will be rocked upon the universal connection formed by the pivot-pin 30 and conical socket 31.

For the purpose of swinging the forward end of the car from one side to the other to represent the position of a car in making a curve, a draw-rod 43, such as shown in Fig. 5, is slidably mounted upon the supportingframe B. The preferred means for slidably mounting the draw-rod 43 consists of longitudinal slots 44, adapted to receive pins 45 upon the supporting-frame B. At its inner end the draw-rod 43 is formed with an upward extension 46, which is pivotally connected at 47 with the car-bodyC. The pivotpoint 47 is located in the longitudinal center of the car-body C, so that the up-and-down or sidewise-rocking movement of the carbody caused by the link-rods 35 will not be interfered with by the pivot-point 47. Whenever it is desired to shift the forward end of the car so as to change the position in rounding a curve, the attendant grasps the draw-rod 43 and either pulls it outward or pushes it inward, according tothe position which it is desired to give to the car.

It will be understood that the improved car of the present invention will be used in connection with suitable illusion-scenery, which will be moved with respect to the car in order to produce the desired effect.

The improved car of this invention is strong, simple, durable, and inexpensive in construction, as well as thoroughly efficient in operation.

It will be understood that in case the wheel 40 rotates the eccentric-pins 37 at such a rate of speed as to rock the car-body too rapidly any suitable reducing-gear can be employed for lowering the speed of said eccentrics.

that is claimed is- 1. An amusement device having a carbody, means for causing a side-to-side movement of said car-body, means for producing an up-and-down rocking movement of said car-body, and means for moving the forward end of said car-body in a lateral direction.

2. A n amusement device having a supporting-frame, means for moving said supporting-frame from side to side, a car-body pivotally mounted upon said supportingframe, and means for causing an up-anddown rocking movement of said car-body upon said supporting-frame.

3. An amusement device having a supporting-frame, means for moving said supporting-frame from side to side, a car-body pivotally mounted upon said supportingframe, means for causing up-and-down rocking movement of said car-body upon said supporting-frame, and means for swinging the forward end of said car-body in a lateral direction upon said supporting-frame.

4. An amusement device having a plurality of car-wheels, a supporting-frame carried by said car-wheels, means for moving said supporting-frame from side to side with respect to said car-wheels, a car-body pivotally mounted upon said supporting-frame, and means for causing up-and-down rocking movement of said car-body upon said supporting-frame.

5. An amusement device having a plural- ITO ity of car-wheels, axles connected with said car-wheels, a supporting-frame slidably mounted upon said axles, and a car-body pivotally mounted upon said supportingframe.

6. An amusement device having a plurality of car-wheels, axles connected with said car-wheels, a supporting-frame slidably mounted upon said axles, a car-body pivotally mounted upon said supporting-frame, means for causing up-and-down rocking movement of said car-body upon said sup# porting-frame, and means for swinging the forward end of said car-body in a lateral di rection with respect to said supportingframe.

7. An amusement device having a baseframe, supporting-wheels journaled upon said base-frame, car-wheels mounted upon said supportingewheels, axles connected with said car-wheels, a supporting-frame having brackets slidably mounted upon said axles,

said supporting-frame having a conical socket, a car-body having a pivot-point fitting into the conical socket of the supportingframe, link-rods having a universal connection with said car-body, means for reciprocating said link-rods in opposite directions, a slotted bracket connected with said supporting-frame, a worin-disk having an eccentric-pin engaged with said slotted bracket for moving said supporting-frame Jfrom side to side, means for rotating said worm-disk, and a draw-rod slidably mounted upon said supporting-frame and pivotally connected with said ear-body.

ln testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto allixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WlLLIAM HENRY WINTERBORNE.

Witnesses:'

JOHN LoUs'rANMAN, A. D. BAKER. 

